


Love Isn't Colorblind

by gottawriteanegoortwo



Series: Darkstache [4]
Category: Youtube RPF, markiplier - Fandom
Genre: Dark is red-green colorblind, M/M, Wilford didn't know that
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-15
Updated: 2021-01-16
Packaged: 2021-03-05 22:49:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,087
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25773127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gottawriteanegoortwo/pseuds/gottawriteanegoortwo
Summary: As requested by an anonymous user on Tumblr:Hi, are you accepting prompts? Because I have one-- Dark is color blind, and Will doesn't really know (or remember) it at all. He finds out by asking which shade of pink Dark prefers, to which Dark explains the situation... (Angst and fluff are my jam, I just want then to be sad and then happy that's all haha)
Relationships: Darkiplier/Wilford Warfstache, darkstache
Series: Darkstache [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1869343
Comments: 17
Kudos: 87





	1. Learning the Truth

Damien always knew the world was different for him. When he looked out on the world, he failed to appreciate the true beauty of flowers in bloom, or pieces of art. Colour didn’t seem to work the same in his mind.

It was something he always had and simply had to adapt. Celine and the others would help him with art projects in class, and he would never be asked opinions on most colours, which was fine by him. As he grew up, he was thankful his family dressed in monochromatic colours. They were impossible for him to confuse.

Unfortunately, becoming the amalgamation that was Dark meant that this minor inconvenience continued on. His own research determined he was red-green colourblind, resulting in a confusion of most colours bar blue and yellow. It became a habit to deflect colour choices to Wilford, citing the reporter’s ‘creative insight’ as an excuse for Dark to not have his sight brought into question. Despite his best intentions, Dark had never confided in his partner that his sense of colour was rather poor. It was only a matter of time before he’d have to tell the truth.

“Aha! There’s th’ man of th’ hour! I need a favour. I need th’ advice of someone handsome, intelligent, observant -” Wilford rattled on as he hurried into the break room with a small bundle of material in his hands. “I’ve got a big meetin’ talk with Mark an’ his team an’ I wanna look great! Whaddya think of this?” The material - a checkered shirt, as it turned out - was opened and held up against him to provide Dark a visual reference. “Does it make my eyes pop out?” As Wilford dramatically fluttered his eyelashes, Dark fell silent. Normally, he would give practical fashion advice about Wilford’s fluctuating sense of fashion taste, but this was one of his better choices. The shirt itself was quite nice on Wilford. A simple, classy look, not too fancy, but not too casual either. He guessed the fit would be perfect and would only emphasise that broad chest Wilford loved to show off. However, this was about the colour. The one thing Dark avoided giving opinions on.

“Yes. It works wonderfully.”

“Awww, c’mon, honeybun! Ya gotta give me more ta work with! It ain’t quite my normal shade but it works, right?”

“Fine. It’s… a nice shade of blue. It’s not too strong, and it serves as a nice contrast.” Dark’s response had Wilford tilt his head to the left with a frown, before lifting up the shirt again. His eyes began rapidly scanning it in case something was wrong, and it was something Dark noticed. “Is everything alright?”

[“It’s pink.”](https://t.umblr.com/redirect?z=http%3A%2F%2Fpakstyle.pk%2Fimg%2Fproducts%2Fl%2Fp6363-bundle-pack-of-2-men-s-dress-shirts_10.jpg&t=MWYxNjEwNWUzMjQ2OGE1MDQ0MmY5MjJlNmM0ODc4ODk0ZmJkNzI1MixOSGlSUWYwVA%3D%3D&b=t%3ASOln55uvkgcIlpLv0a0lOA&p=https%3A%2F%2Fgottawriteanegoortwo.tumblr.com%2Fpost%2F623742971077099520%2Fhi-are-you-accepting-prompts-because-i-have&m=1&ts=1596831104)

There was no answer to that. Dark lifted the newspaper with the intention of dropping the topic and reading, but it was quickly tugged away by a concerned Wilford.

“Babe, are ya feelin’ okay? Yer not sick, are ya?” Wilford placed a hand on Dark’s cold forehead.

“I’m fine. I’m not sick. It’s nothing.” The warm hand was pushed away so Dark could reclaim his newspaper. Guilt twinged in his chest upon accepting that it wasn’t enough to ease Wilford’s worries. “It is nothing, I promise. I’m colourblind: simply meaning that I can’t see all colours like you can.”

“But… But ya can see _me_ , right?” At last, there was a trace of relief when Dark nodded in confirmation. He rested his hand on Dark’s cheek. By habit, the entity pressed against it.

“My vision is fine. I can see you as clear as day. My issue is how I see colour, or the inability to see it. I can tell blue and yellow with ease. After that, colours become more unclear. Shades of red and green are murky, and it’s impossible to tell them apart. I know your moustache is pink, but it looks like a murky gray to me.” Wilford was silent as Dark explained himself. He looked betrayed.

“But that time when we watched that sunset. It didn’t look th’ way I saw it, did it…?”

“I’m afraid not. I’m sorry I lied that day, but I couldn’t ruin the work you put into that wonderful night. It has never dampened anything we have gone through, and I honestly don’t have any difficulty beyond identifying certain colours. I guess that’s why I love you. I might not know what the colour ‘pink’ looks like, but I think of your smile.” A simple confession. It was enough for Wilford to beam as he quickly kissed Dark on the lips.

“I’m gonna find somethin’ that’ll help ya see those colours, an’ we’ll go see them sunsets again. Just you an’ me. I promise.”

“I look forward to it… But you have a meeting first, remember?”


	2. Seeing the Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now knowing that Dark is colourblind, Wilford tries to find a way to help Dark see the colours he’s missed out on. But how can a date night help with that?

If there was one thing every single ego working in the studio could agree on, it was that Wilford was not the smartest of the bunch. He struggled with reading, had difficulties keeping track of time, had an unreliable memory on bad days, among other things. Which was why there was surprise when it was discovered Wilford was undertaking heavy research. Sitting at the desk in his dressing-room-studio, the reporter was immersed in work on his laptop. There was a notebook beside him where he attempted to write legible notes. Several drinking glasses had been conjured and emptied so he could work without the distraction of moving. Another notebook was open and drying on the radiator after some water spilled on it.

But if anyone walked in with the intention to see what he was doing, they were blocked by an invisible bubble. To Dark’s frustration, it included him.

“You know you can’t work on anything without telling me about it. As the company’s lawyer, I need to make sure what you’re doing keeps you out of legal trouble.” Dark folded his arms with an irritated expression. In response, Wilford pulled himself onto his feet, sauntered across the room, and slipped through the bubble barrier to take Dark’s hands in his own.

“Yeah, buuut Google told me that’s only if I’m workin’ on somethin’ _fer_ th’ studio. This is a personal project that I want perfect before I tell anyone!” A seemingly simple answer had alarm bells ringing in Dark’s mind. Wilford always put his brainstorming on display for others. Why was he being so secretive? He tried to pull his hands away, but the reporter’s grip was too tight. “Ya gotta trust me, sugarplum. I’ve been workin’ hard like a little bee in here. Just gimme a little longer an’ I’ll show ya everythin’.”

“Will this be _before_ or _after_ you cause whatever trouble you’re planning?”

“Who said anythin’ ‘bout causin’ trouble?” Wilford was hurt by that, though he was quick to shake it off. “When it’s ready, yer th’ first person I wanna show. Promise.” He kissed Dark on the cheek and added, “Yer still free after work, right?”

* * *

When the other egos and regular staff had called it a day, Dark returned to Wilford’s empty office. To his surprise, the barrier bubble was gone, but the desk space had been cleared. There was no evidence he could see that might tell him what Wilford was up to. Wilford had actually remembered to shut down the laptop for once. This was certainly an unusual setting for the reporter who was terrible with technology. There had to be a clue somewhere that he wasn’t seeing!

“Babe!” Wilford’s voice made Dark jump. He spun around to notice Wilford had changed clothes to wear a faint blue (maybe) shirt, black trousers and white suspenders (he could tell those colours easily). “Thought I’d catch ya before ya left yer office. Ya ready ta go?” Dark nodded, crossing the room to take Wilford’s free hand.

“A basket?”

“Well, yeah! Can’t have ya gettin’ cold on me, eh? We got a great evenin’ planned an’ I want ya ta be cosy!”

* * *

The car pulled up at their normal viewing spot outside the city. Dark tried to weasel information out of Wilford, but the reporter was unusually tight-lipped. All he could learn was that the pair were sky-gazing. As much as Dark liked spending time with Wilford, he couldn’t help but feel Wilford forgot that Dark couldn’t enjoy seeing the day sky in the same way. Surely he wouldn’t need to ruin the night by having this conversation a second time, right? Stuck with indecision on what to do, Dark didn’t notice how Wilford sat on the picnic blanket and began pulling things out of the basket at first. A little vase of flowers, a notebook, some juggling balls, a small balloon, a black case… 

“Wilford… What are you doing with all this stuff?” Before Dark could sit, Wilford quickly scrambled back onto his feet.

“No, no! Not yet. Tonight’s a special night. Gonna be one of th’ prettiest views an’ I don’t wantcha missin’ it ‘cause yer askin’ why I have so many things with me.” Wilford wagged a finger playfully at Dark. A graceful bend allowed him to scoop up the black case and hand it to Dark. “A present fer my beautiful shadow.” Dark accepted the case, clicked it open, and frowned.

“... Sunglasses. At 8pm?”

“Well, yeah! There’s gonna be some big bright flashy thing of some sort tonight. Bing was ravin’ ‘bout it. I’m surprised ya didn’t hear ‘bout it!” Wilford had whipped out a pair of sunglasses and rested them in his messy curls. “Go on! Try ‘em on. Betcha look real handsome with ‘em~”

Something wasn’t right, but Dark couldn’t quite put his finger on it. Wilford was acting peculiar, like he was trying to distract the entity from something. Google never mentioned anything about events taking place in the sky. With all the random objects scattered at his feet, it could be Wilford’s way to pull attention away from some crime he had committed while out. That’s why he changed clothes, it had to be! Even with those worries in his head, Wilford looked genuinely excited. Dark never wore sunglasses, but maybe he could humour Wilford and play along. 

The glasses were put on.

_The world_ **_exploded_ ** _in a way he never could have predicted._

What was originally a murky mesh of blue, yellow, and grey had now become so much _more._ Everything was brighter, vivid, **alive!** He quickly lifted the glasses to see the world as he was used to, then dropped the glasses back down to see this new world. It was the glasses. The glasses were somehow letting him see colour in a way he never could have imagined and couldn’t possibly explain. The colours seemed to shift a little the longer he wore them, possibly as his eyes adjusted to it, allowing him to see so much more. A hand covered his mouth as emotions welled up inside him. Never did he think he would ever see something like this in his entire life.

“Ya doin’ okay?” Wilford’s hand gently squeezed his shoulder. Dark nodded.

“I… I’ve never seen colour like this before. It’s beautiful… I thought you brought me here because you forgot.”

“Nah. I wrote it down when ya told me. This is what I’ve been workin’ on all week that no one knew ‘bout. I wanted ta help ya see colour. These glasses were th’ best way ta do that. Bet it must be weird fer ya.” 

“I never would have guessed how many types of green there are. It all looked the same, but the leaves on the trees and the grass all look so different…” He turned to face Wilford, only to trail off as he took in the sight of his boyfriend in full colour for the first time. He was wearing a purple shirt, not a blue one! Wilford could see the emotion in Dark’s eyes through the tinted lenses as the entity’s hand reached up to Wilford’s face. “... Is that pink? Your moustache… It’s brighter than I could have imagined.” Tears finally slipped underneath the glasses as he laughed. “It’s perfect for you. I can’t stop smiling as I look at it. Oh! I never even realised it was in your hair either! I thought your hair was all one shade!” Fingers looped strands of pink locks to examine them better. “I knew I was right to think of you when I tried to imagine what ‘pink’ looked like.”

“Ya can admire me an’ my pretty pink all ya like later…. But turn ‘round again. I think y’ll like what yer ‘bout ta see.” Wilford kissed Dark on the nose before encouraging the entity to spin back the way he was originally facing.

There, in all its majestic glory behind them, was a sunset. With the distraction of the glasses, enough time had passed for the sun to dip low enough below the horizon. Dark slipped an arm around Wilford’s waist and held on tightly as he took in every inch of the evening sky.

“I knew it was yellow, I knew it was blue, but all the colours in between… No wonder you were always so excited to look at sunsets. I could stare at this all night if I could. I’m seeing colours I never knew existed before. It’s perfect.”

“I thought y’d say that. I try ta keep a diary ta help me remember things so I thought, ‘why not do th’ same fer you’?” A spiral-bound notebook was passed to Dark, open on a page that had coloured squares labelled. “I made ya a little chart so y’d know what colours are what.” A simple gesture had the emotions bubbling over all over again as Dark hugged Wilford tight.

The pair would sit in silence and enjoy the full beauty of the sunset. Wrapped in a purple and white blanket, Dark was given all the time to process what he was seeing. Later, the pair would use the notebook to show Wilford what Dark could now see in the random assortment of items that dotted the blanket as they undertook a masterclass of colour.. But for the moment, seeing the beauty of a colourful world took priority.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's nice not having to explain how this is a backdated fic for once! 
> 
> For those who might be curious, I highly recommend checking out [EnChroma](https://enchroma.com), who do indeed make glasses to help those who are colourblind. There are plenty of video reactions to people wearing them for the first time if ever you need to rediscover your appreciation of colour.


	3. Bonus: Seeing Egos in New Colours

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Requested by [somebodywithawifi](https://somebodywithawifi.tumblr.com/) on Tumblr:
> 
> _How about some of Dark seeing the other egos in colour for the first time in the colorblind au (bonus points if wilds being supportive husband)_

After the successful date night that allowed Dark to see the world in proper colour for the first time, it was safe to say his view on the world had brightened somewhat. Another set of glasses were ordered that would work better indoors. Wilford was helping him learn colour names and how to better identify various shades, and would even find silly, colourful suspenders to make Dark smile (and what a nice reward that was!). The first few days wearing the glasses were distracting. Dark would work, something new would appear, and he would find himself comparing the colours to what he normally saw. While the relief never faded, Dark allowed himself to get used to the sights he much preferred.

The monthly board meeting two weeks after the date was the first time the egos saw Dark’s new glasses. Yandereiplier was the one to ask while everyone was setting up. They were only helping Host bring in some documents, but curiosity took the better of them

“They’re for reading,” Dark explained without lifting his gaze from the minutes of the last meeting.

“Oh! Well, they’re really pretty. They suit you, senpai!” Yan’s bright response had Dark glance up in surprise, and freeze. Their hair was dyed such a vivid shade of red, and the scarf of their uniform matched it. Yan took a nervous step back, hands wringing. “Is something wrong? I-I mean, I know I’m not to wear my school uniform when I’m interning here but -”

“No, no. It’s not that. I think this is the first time I’ve seen you since Wilford helped you with your hair. It’s a nice shade of red.” The student was bowled over by the compliment, but they took in their stride with a wide grin, bowing before hurrying out. Across the table, Wilford gave Dark a thumbs up.

In the middle of the meeting, a very timid Eric entered with a request for Google from one of the project managers. With all eyes off him, Dark was able to realise that the sweater that Dr. Iplier had called “Eric’s comfort item” was actually forest green. All this time, he had thought it to be ochre, but this made more sense given how fond of the colour Eric was. With the door open, the King of the Squirrels took the chance to dart in and steal a bar of chocolate from the table. Dark managed to hide his surprised laugh with a cough. He had assumed the royal was clad in white and gold, but his outfit was a rather sophisticated shade of red. It almost looked comical, yet entirely fitting.

Just as they were finishing up, in barged two Jims with ‘breaking news’ for Wilford. Both were wearing ridiculous, sky-blue shirts with pineapples on them. The entity paused, blinking at the odd sight, before forcing himself to pack up.

“Colour is an unusual thing, is it not?” Host’s low voice broke the silence. “Colour blindness is not a unique problem. There’s no shame in being honest.”

“I don’t think they’d understand the newness of it all. Worse, I can only imagine them going out of their way to wear ridiculous things to catch my attention. Will is the only one I’ll allow to do that.” Host nodded in understanding.

“If they do, let them. There is magic in colour. Inspiration can come running at the vividness of flowers, the tranquility of a park, the fleeting moments in a sunset. There is no harm in such things.” Dark opened his mouth to ask a question, but Host continued, “I do miss colour, yes. My narrations don’t allow the full spectrum that was once there. But it is alright. I remember what it was like, and can artificially dot the missing colours in. But you… You can build new memories with them. Don’t let shame stop you. Embrace the opportunity you’ve been given.”

“Thank you, Host. It’s nice to know you understand what it’s like.”

“An artist of any sort never forgets the importance of colours. For instance, you thought I wore an off-white jacket. My trench coat is beige. However, your assumption of me wearing old, ragged off-white material around my eyes is completely.” He finished with a knowing smirk as he rose to his feet. “Embrace the colour, Dark. It’s a nice change from your moody, monochromatic views.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Read over on Tumblr by clicking [here!](https://gottawriteanegoortwo.tumblr.com/post/640400574265868288/how-about-some-of-dark-seeing-the-other-egos-in)

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted on [gottawriteanegoortwo](https://gottawriteanegoortwo.tumblr.com/post/623742971077099520/hi-are-you-accepting-prompts-because-i-have) and backdated to match that.


End file.
